What to do and who to chose?

[Shesgottahaveit]

In my opinion, it is worth it to go to a high volume Dr. who does this all the time. 5 years ago I got a 21cm AMS from a Kaiser Dr. who did 2-3 per month. It was a brutal proceedue, he almost abandoned the procedure midway (per him) and I was immediately disappointed in the result. Felt like it was starting to wear. Finally this year made an appointment with Dr. Ed Karpman in Los Gatos area who has done thousands of these. My previous Kaiser Dr. uses the AMS (now Boston Scientific) because that is what he was trained on. Karpman clearly prefers Titan Coloplast. He did my revision surgery yesterday replaced AMS with 23 cm Coloplast He showed me pictures of how my old implants were in the process of failing after only five years. He also put in another drain that kept the blood from pooling and as a result I have almost no bruising after the surgery. Five years ago it looked like I had been a car wreck from the navel down. I highly recommend you find someone who pretty much only does this. You might find Karpman a bit overconfident which is true of most surgeons but he really does know what he's doing. I go back for follow up in one week. Reach out if I can help

[Flounder]

IMO; You have a clear preference for Dr. Carrion for good reasons. Getting an implant is a pretty big deal. If you settle for less, for the sake of expediency or dollars, you might forever regret it. For your own peace of mind, I say go into this knowing you’re giving yourself the best chance for a great outcome.

The history of Cigna approving then denied coverage would make me skeptical of another go around with them again. You already changed to BCBS/horizon blue for next year presumably because you know they will cover the Implant, minus your annual deductibles.

So in summary, if you defer for approximately 60 days, you can have the surgeon of choice and be paid for the time off for recovery. The cost is whatever your out of pocket costs are. But that’s not a total loss either because then your annual deductibles might be satisfied 2024. Sort of pre-paid for anything else that comes your way next year.

Forging ahead this year means less confidence in the surgeon and unpaid leave from work. The surgery might cost you nothing OR it might cost you everything if Cigna flip flops again.

If your decision strictly comes down to dollars, then compare the cost of lost wages this year vs your out of pocket costs for surgery next year. But if you can handle a couple thousand either way, my opinion is defer until next year for your surgeon of choice and the paid time off for recovery.

[easymoney]

I used Dr. Carrion .. great Dr. poor follow up and information given by his practice in my opinion ... which in the end is just as important as the skill of the surgeon since you will more than likely see him once before surgery and may not see him afterwards ... so it will be his care team that will be important to you .. and support from the manufacturer also ...which in my case is non-existent .. it's a big choice in your life you are doing both physically and mentally besides the financial part of it .. as the old saying goes let the buyer beware

[Rider1400]

I knew nothing about implants before my surgery except it would allow me to have erections again. Can't even remember how I found my doctor, didn't know if he had done numerous implants or I was his first. Bottom line is everything came out fine. Picking a high volume doc might be your choice but expensive. From all I have learned hanging around FT for 3 years there doesn't seem much difference in the final outcome no matter what doc installs the implant.

Not trying to be rude…. But you need to look back at most of the people that had issues with their implants! Most were done by low volume Drs! You have to consider % of implants vs % of issues with the high volume Drs. I’ll take my chances with the Dr who does several hundred a year every time over the low volume Dr who does 20-30 a year. Not saying you can get lucky and get a good one from a low volume Dr, but this is your Dick we’re talking about! Not a pair of shoes that if you don’t like the feel you just go buy another pair.

[Bigdog4all]

My opinion is just that, My Opinion. Go with the best doctor. Interview the doctor. I have a list of 30 or so questions. Based of the most experienced doctor and whom you feel comfortable with, along with the answers on my list, then and only then, will I decide which doctor. But experience is foremost and bedside manner is a must. If the doctor A has only done 5 surgeries and doctor B has done 50 surgeries, this year.....which would you choose?

[Old Guy]

I knew nothing about implants before my surgery except it would allow me to have erections again. Can't even remember how I found my doctor, didn't know if he had done numerous implants or I was his first. Bottom line is everything came out fine. Picking a high volume doc might be your choice but expensive. From all I have learned hanging around FT for 3 years there doesn't seem much difference in the final outcome no matter what doc installs the implant.

Not trying to be rude…. But you need to look back at most of the people that had issues with their implants! Most were done by low volume Drs! You have to consider % of implants vs % of issues with the high volume Drs. I’ll take my chances with the Dr who does several hundred a year every time over the low volume Dr who does 20-30 a year. Not saying you can get lucky and get a good one from a low volume Dr, but this is your Dick we’re talking about! Not a pair of shoes that if you don’t like the feel you just go buy another pair.

Yea, I understand your point. I guess I got lucky, first doc I saw actually told me he only does 10-12 a year and requires an overnight hospital stay. He sent me to his partner who does hundreds a year out-patient. Still cost me $3,500 out of pocket after insurance paid. If I had to pay 20-30K I'd still be impotent.

[Gt1956]

Which dr to choose has to be in the top 5 of hard decisions. I was overwhelmed. Living in the middle of nowhere didn't give me much hope. I did talk to Karpman on the phone but he is if I remember, almost 700 miles away.

I did see a mention of my dr in some old FT lists of top drs. But he was listed as being in academia. So I thought that being in some studies got him on the list.

Finally, a few members locally to me sent me private messages. Their input was good in my mind. My dr only does AMS & is in some of their YouTube videos.

I had no illusions that I had a huge dick. But merely on the upper end of what studies say is average. But I had what appears to be upper level girth.

It didn't make sense to me that either brand would add length. So all I had to worry about was girth. I figured that at least I had a chance of mitigating any girth loss.

For the inevitable "what size are you" guys. I've always said that I wasn't measuring until the 1 year mark. Well I lied. But I'm not publishing it cause some guys seem to remember shit better than a scorned ex wife.

Regaining size is slow, very slow. But I can say with confidence that I've gaind a little over 3/8" in length. Almost .4cm to our metric members. Girth is very close to my pre ED of 6". This is at a little over 6 months. I think that 6" girth & maybe around 2cm, over pre ED, in length might happen.

To guys on the fence. Take control of your ED. Make sure that you're willing to put the time into daily cycling for a full year. Btw, be prepared. Stretching your dick daily hurts. ED isn't for wimps.

Sorry that I hit several topics. But to me lots of this is so intertwined that its hard to separate it.

[Rider1400]

GT1956 said it right! If you’re concerned about length, girth then be willing to do the work. I too did the first year of 30 minutes twice daily and more at times. By the 3rd month I was doing the perito exercises consistently every time I pumped. Now, my so called less flexible Titan is as soft as any implant. It folds away and even shrinks up by about an inch when completely deflated. Regained all my length and a little xtra girth!